Erdogan says ready to host Putin in August

One of the key issues expected on the agenda of the two leaders’ talks is whether the Black Sea Grain Initiative will be prolonged….reports Asian Lite News

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said he is ready to host his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin in Ankara next month for talks on several issues.

“We are preparing to host Putin in August,” Erdogan told reporters in Istanbul.

According to Erdogan, one of the key issues expected on the agenda of the two leaders’ talks is whether the Black Sea Grain Initiative will be prolonged.

The deal, brokered by Turkey and the UN that allows Ukraine to export grain and other agricultural products from its Black Sea ports, will expire on July 17.

Erdogan had called for extending the deal last week, stressing that poor African countries in particular are in desperate need of grain shipments from Ukraine.

The Black Sea Grain Initiative was launched in July 2022 to provide a humanitarian maritime corridor for ships with food and fertilizer exports from Ukrainian Black Sea ports.

Meanwhile, Erdogan said the Turkish lawmakers would make the right decision on Sweden’s NATO bid in line with Turkey’s interests, media reported.

“Our parliament will… make the right decision in line with the interests of our country,” the Turkish President added on Thursday when returning from the NATO summit held in Lithuania’s capital Vilnius on July 11-12.

Finland and Sweden applied for NATO membership in February 2022. Turkey finally approved Finland’s bid in March this year but has not yet ratified Sweden’s, Xinhua news agency reported.

“Sweden’s NATO membership was one of the issues highlighted in the context of the (NATO) summit. Our principled stance on this issue has been clear from the very beginning,” Erdogan said.

Before attending the NATO summit, the Turkish President made a tough speech over Sweden’s NATO bid, saying the EU should open a gate for Ankara’s EU membership in return for Turkey’s consent to Sweden’s NATO membership.

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